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Import a script file to a new book: TW / Hollywood / Fountain / FDX
Last updated June 2, 2026 · 5 min read
Import an existing script file (Word / PDF / Fountain / Final Draft / plain text) as a new Slima script book. The "My Screenplays" page has a dedicated "Import script files" button.
Two import entries
The "My Screenplays" page gives you two ways to import a script file:
Entry 1: the "Import script files" button (recommended)
"My Screenplays" top → "Import script files" → opens the "Create new book from script files" dialog. This path is the most complete and supports the widest range of file formats.
Entry 2: the import cards in the "+ New Screenplay" dialog
"My Screenplays" top → "+ New Screenplay" → in the "Create New Screenplay" dialog, the bottom "Import existing screenplay" row has three format cards: Taiwan TV/Film / Hollywood / Fountain. Clicking one opens the file picker directly with that format preselected.
The "Create new book from script files" dialog
The dialog from the "Import script files" button has four fields:
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Select file | Upload the script file to import |
| Script Name | Name of the new script book |
| Type | Film / TV Series / Short / Micro Drama |
| Script format | Taiwan / Hollywood / Fountain / Final Draft (FDX) |
Fill them in, then click "Create & import".
Supported file formats
The dialog accepts:
- .rtf / .docx / .pdf / .txt — general document files
- .fountain — the Fountain plain-text screenplay format
- .fdx — Final Draft project file
- .zip — a single archive; if it contains an
S01/E01folder layout, it imports as multi-season / multi-episode (see Cross-episode / multi-file import)
Choosing the script format
The "Script format" field tells Slima which layout convention your file uses, so parsing is more accurate:
Taiwan
Taiwan TV/Film layout (場 N, interior/exterior, location, time). Slima parses each line into the matching script element.
Hollywood
INT./EXT. scene headings + uppercase character names + centred dialogue — standard Hollywood format.
Fountain
A plain-text screenplay markup format (think markdown for screenplays). Most compatible, most cross-tool friendly. See: https://fountain.io/
Final Draft (FDX)
Final Draft's native project file (.fdx). If you've been writing in Final Draft, pick this.
After import
- The new script book is created and opens in Plan view
- Slima tries to auto-detect characters from the scene content and create entries (Character Bible)
- The Scene Board asks you to pick a structure template the first time you open it
- You fill Logline / Concept / Synopsis metadata manually
Where parsing can go wrong
Slima uses heuristic rules to classify each line as Scene Heading / Character / Dialogue / Description. These cases are easy to misclassify:
- Character names not uppercase (especially from .docx) → may be read as dialogue
- Non-standard format (e.g. scene heading not at line start) → may be missed
- Mixed languages (CJK + Latin) → the heuristic may hesitate
After import, open the Write view and fix any mis-detected elements back to the correct type.
Limits
- Single-file size has a cap (varies by version)
- PDF parsing depends on document structure — image-only PDFs (not text) may not parse
- Storylines / Locations metadata are not auto-created — add them manually later
Fountain / FDX import cleanest
Fountain and Final Draft are both structurally clear screenplay formats, with the lowest import error rate. If your source was written in Final Draft, Trelby, or another professional tool, most can export to .fountain or .fdx.